A CONFERENCE to encourage more people from ethnic minorities to become involved in politics and public life is being held in Reading this Saturday.

Reading East MP Jane Griffiths has arranged the meeting, which will also feature Keith Vaz, the first Asian MP to become a minister, among the guest speakers.

Statistics from the 1991 census showed that 10 per cent of the population in Reading was not white but there are currently only two out of 45 councillors on Reading Borough Council who are from ethnic minorities - both men.

Ms Griffiths said most of the organisations in civic society also fail to reflect the community of Reading as a whole.

She said: "I am keen that we hear from members of Reading's communities how they can be more involved in our society.

"Ethnic minority businesses already contribute about £40 billion to the British economy and the Government and I believe that the ethnic minority contribution to British society could be massively increased by their greater involvement and integration."

Ms Griffiths said the idea of the conference is to find out from ethnic minority people in public roles what barriers and difficulties they found.

She said: "My own personal view is that people from ethnic minorities look around them and do not see anybody who looks like them in public life and that doesn't help with confidence or putting themselves forward."

On the question of institutional racism, Ms Griffiths said: "Our public bodies and institutions have, by law, to promote racial equality and almost all would be mortified if it was suggested some of their procedures were racist but they could be unintentionally."

The meeting at Reading Town Hall, between 1.30pm and 4pm, will include Mr Vaz; Yvonne Thompson, who chairs the Ethnic Minority Business Forum; Najma Hafeez, who chairs the City and Sandwell Hospital NHS Trust and Rashmi Varma, chief

executive of the Confederation of Indian Organisations.

There will also be workshops throughout the afternoon to allow people to take part and have their say.

Rajinder Sohpal, director of Reading Council for Racial Equality, will also be among the speakers.

He said: "Our discussion will be aimed at finding the most effective and innovative way to involve all the communities in our society."